The Lakers came into Houston this afternoon looking to be the ones to stop the Rockets incredible 21 game winning streak. Unfortunately, the responsibility of protecting the 71-72 Lakers 33 game streak will be in the hands of another team, as the Rockets beat the Lakers 104-92 to run their tally to 22 straight.
The Lakers had an uphill battle from the start, with the continuing absence of Andrew Bynum and the recent minor injury to Pau Gasol. This left Ronny Turiaf (really a power foward) and DJ Mbenga (really a D-Leaguer) as their only options at center.
Kobe came out aggressively in the first half, and looked to create his own shots instead of get his teammates involved in the game. This proved to be ineffective, as Kobe wasn't able to shoot efficiently from the field. To the Rockets credit, their defense was outstanding. Shane Battier put in as dominant a defensive performance as one can against #24.
On the other end, Rafer Alston got hot early, putting up 16 points and 4 threes in the first quarter alone. The Rockets continued to push, and used a 13-2 run to go up by 15 at the half, even with zero points from their star player, Tracy McGrady.
Los Angeles showed some resilience in the third quarter, refusing to give up. They started the quarter with 12 straight points, not allowing Houston to get their first basket until the 6 minute mark. This run was led by a change in attitude in Kobe Bryant. He came out looking to set up his teammates, and was forcing less shots.
However, the Laker bench continued to get dominated by Bobby Jackson, Chuck Hayes and the other Houston reserves, and Rafer Alston continued to bury unbelievable, heavily contested 3 pointers.
Ronny and Lamar both put in solid games in the paint. Lamar had 17 points and 11 rebounds and shot the ball very eficently. Turiaf has 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but neither was able to really put their stamp on the game. Lamar had long stretches where he was invisible, and Ronny had long stretches on the bench due to foul trouble.
The Lakers were able to make a game out of it for the most of the fourth, but finally fell apart in the final minutes. The end of the game had an almost playoff like intensity, and it was painful to watch the Lakers self-combust. Sasha Vujacic summed up the likely attitude of most Laker fans when he put a hard foul on a show-boating Alston in the final minute.
The Lakers did not play badly in this game, they just were unlucky to face Houston at a time when they were one of the hottest teams in NBA history and were thoroughly outplayed. Houston's defense was the number-one reason that they got the win. They were able to effectively shut down Kobe (24pts on 11-33 shooting) without allowing other Lakers to go off. Usually when a team focuses on shutting down Kobe, it allows other Lakers to have more space, more time, and open looks. That didn't happen tonight, mainly because of Battier's stifling one-on-one defense which rarely required a helping double team from his teammates.
Obviously also contributing to the win was the Rockets lights out shooting. Led by Rafer Alston who had a career high 31 points and 8 threes, Houston hit 12 of 26 from deep. The Rockets outshot the Lakers in every category: field goals, three-pointers and freethrows.
Whats next for the two teams? While the Rockets were thoroughly impressive, I can't see them realistically challenging the Lakers 33 game winning streak record. They have to play Boston, New Orleans, Golden State, and Phoenix in their next four games. If they can get through that stretch however, the all time record is a definite possibility. As for the Lakers, they are definitely in trouble. They will be trying to avoid an 0-4 road trip, but will need lots of luck to beat Dallas or Utah on the road without Pau. The schedule gets much easier next week, and hopefully Pau and eventually Bynum and Ariza can be eased back into the lineup as the team gears up for the playoffs.
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